1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a photographic film assemblage of the type which includes instant type film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates to a film assemblage of the type which includes instant or self-developing type film, preferably transparency film, and more particularly to such an assemblage which may remain attached to a photographic apparatus while a portion thereof containing one or more photographically exposed premounted film frames may be removed therefrom for subsequent placement in a processor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,166 describes a photographic apparatus in the form of a camera which is adapted to receive a film assemblage of the type which includes a plurality of film units of the instant transparency type. The film assemblage includes a supply cassette containing a stack of film units and a separate storage cassette. The supply and storage cassettes are individually loaded into the camera on opposite sides of an exposure station and a film advance assembly is manually actuated so as to move a film unit from the supply cassette to the exposure station. After its exposure, the film advance assembly is actuated again thereby moving the exposed film unit from the exposure station to a position between a pair of rollers while simultaneously moving another film unit from the supply cassette to the exposure station. The rollers rupture a container of processing liquid attached to the film unit's leading end and spread its contents between layers of the film unit to initiate the formation of a visible image while simultaneously advancing the film unit into the storage cassette.
While the above described system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,166 has many admirable attributes there is still room for improvement. For example, loading of the film assemblage could be improved by combining the supply and storage cassettes into a structure, which may be loaded as a unit as is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,949. Further, and more importantly, the versatility of the system could be enhanced if the processing of the exposed film units were carried out in an environment which is more conducive to the proper development of the latent image. For example, the ambient temperature at the location where the film is being exposed may be at a level which is above or below that required for optimum development of the latent image by the processing liquid.